


Do Not Wait

by wearetheunknown



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assistant Harry Styles, Journalist Louis, M/M, Mutual Pining, Singer Harry Styles, Tinder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22309621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearetheunknown/pseuds/wearetheunknown
Summary: Louis’s just a lonely guy swiping through Tinder when he finds his favorite actress, Amber Reed, has liked him back. But when they meet up, he realizes they have no connection. Rather, it’s her assistant who catches his eye.
Relationships: Eleanor Calder/Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson & Original Female Character(s), Louis Tomlinson/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you for choosing to read my first ao3 fic. I've been putting a lot of work into this and it's been really beneficial when it comes to helping me practice my writing and planning. The title of this fic comes from the Wallows song, "Do Not Wait". It is, by far, one of my favourite songs and would recommend you check it out.  
> Again, thank you so much for reading!  
> Emilie x

Louis scrunches his eyes tight as he inhales a deep breath into his lungs. The morning light from his window splashes across his face, forcing him to wake. He sighs and opens his eyes as his gaze falls to the sleeping figure beside him.

  
This sight was not unusual for Louis. In fact, it was more rare to wake up alone. He props himself up with an elbow, trying to peer at the person next to him. He couldn’t remember a thing about last night and he certainly couldn’t remember the name of the person he had slept with. It was a girl, he deducts from the long blonde locks that covered her face. She's petite and one arm is crossed over her bare chest.

  
Louis is pulled from his thoughts when he hears a bit of clatter from the kitchen. He pushes himself out of bed, trying to make as little movement as possible. Once his feet hit the floor, he pulls on a pair of pants from the floor and grabs a grey pair of sweats from the back of his desk chair. He makes his way to the kitchen, stretching his arms above his head and lets out another yawn.

  
“Morning, Louis,” he hears a raspy voice. Zayn is sitting at the kitchen island with a phone in hand. His dark hair is gelled back, as it usually is, and he has some splotches of paint up his arm, covering pieces of the tattoos on his skin.

  
The two have only been living together for about half a year. They rented the apartment in January, when Zayn made the proposal that Louis should move in with him. They hadn’t known each other very long, but the two decided that with the both of them struggling financially, it was easier to live together. They met at a bar when Zayn first moved to Los Angeles about two years ago. Admittedly, Louis had tried to hit on him within the first few minutes of meeting him. How could he not? The man was gorgeous. Zayn had only laughed and slung an arm around him, saying that although he himself was straight, he’d definitely be willing to be Louis’ wingman for the night.

  
“I heard that you brought someone home last night again?” Zayn asks, continuing to scroll through his phone. Louis strides through the kitchen to sit across from him on a stool on the other side of the island.

“Who told you that?” he asks, grabbing his laptop and pulling it closer to him. He opens it up and types in his password.

  
“No one told me anything. I had to hear it with my own ears, Lou.” Zayn rolls his eyes, before standing up and pouring himself another cup of hot water. He gestures toward his own cup, silently asking Louis if he wanted anything too. Louis nods.

  
“Is it that big of a surprise?” Louis shrugs, waiting for his computer to load.

  
“I didn’t say it was. Do you like her?” He asks, gesturing towards Louis’ bedroom door. Louis scoffs quietly.

  
“Do I like her?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.

  
“I just mean-”

  
“I don’t even know her. I met her on Tinder and she said she was looking for a hookup. How could I turn it down?” Zayn sets a cup of yorkshire tea down in front of Louis and rests against the island beside him.

  
“Maybe you should try to use Tinder to find a long term relationship next time, Lou.” He suggests gently, sipping his own cup of tea.

  
“No one uses Tinder with the intention of finding an actual relationship anymore.” Louis says, stirring the cuppa in front of him.

  
“Hey, I do!” Zayn says, mocking offense. Louis pushes his arm lightly, earning a smile from Zayn.

  
“Fine, besides you. I just don’t think I’m a long-term relationship guy anyway.” Louis says, lifting the cup to his lips. Zayn rolls his eyes again and gives Louis’ shoulders a squeeze as he walks behind him.

  
“I don’t know. It’s just a suggestion.” He says before grabbing his phone off the island.

  
“I’m going to paint for a little bit, but, uh, good luck with your whole Tinder thing.” he says and heads to his room. As his door closes, Louis’ bedroom door opens and the girl from last night saunters out. She had slipped on the black dress she had been wearing last night and her hair is spread loose around her.

  
“I had a great time last night, Louis.” She say, waving her fingers as she approachs the front door.

  
“Uh, yeah. Me too.” Louis says, although he couldn’t remember much of anything. She smiles.

  
“I’d love to do this again, if you’re ever up for it.” She suggests as she opens the door and leaves.

  
“Sure. I’ll see you around,” Louis says, turning back to his laptop. He didn’t really have plans to see her again, considering he still couldn’t remember her. He heard the front door close and he lets out a sigh. Would it really be so awful if he started looking for a long term relationship?

  
He brushes the thought away and clicks opened his email inbox. He had a few emails forwarded to him that held articles that he was expected to edit for the newspaper he worked at. He opened the first one and scanned it over. It was decently written, or as decent as an article written by a new intern can be. Louis plucks away at the article for a bit, making minor edits here and there.

  
After about ten minutes of editing, his phone dings. He lifts his eyes away from the laptop and picks up his phone. The top notification was that he has a new match on Tinder. He unlocks his phone to look at his recent match and closes his laptop. He lets himself slump over the counter, giving his full attention to his phone. He swipes through the potential matches on his home screen, forgetting about the new match that had drawn him to his phone in the first place. He swipes for a little while and matches with a man: Matthew, 25. He’s attractive, Louis thinks. Matthew’s bio tells him that he is only looking for hookups and Louis smiles. A man after his own heart. He sends Matthew a message and asks him to meet at a bar tonight. Matthew agrees. 

  
It had been about three years since his last full relationship. He had been dating Eleanor Calder when he went to college back in London. They had been together throughout Year 11 and through his entire college years. Eleanor had also been studying to be a Journalist and Louis thought there was no better match than her. They were high school sweethearts and they shared the same aspirations. They were practically meant to be, in his mind. They both applied for jobs in LA, however, Louis was the only one able to find work. He had told Eleanor that’d he’d stay back and that it wasn’t important. He could find work in London with her. But Eleanor convinced him he needed to go, and so he did.  
Louis tried to get long-distance to work, but it was so hard. He sent her packages all the time. He hand wrote letters because he knew she loved the idea of a tangible love letter. He called her everyday. He thought they’d be okay, but after six months, he began to feel tension.

  
Then, one day over the phone, she blurted out that she had been seeing someone.

  
“I’ve been seeing someone, Lou.” she whispered. Every muscle in Louis tensed up. He couldn’t breathe.

  
“What?” he croaked out. It was the only thing he could manage. He heard her choke up a bit.

  
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”

  
“How long, Eleanor?” he said, feeling dizzy.

  
“Lou-”

  
“How long?” he asked again.

  
“Eight months.” she whispered. Louis couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He was simultaneously heartbroken and angry.

  
“Before I even left?” he managed to say, trying to keep his voice steady. He heard Eleanor crying on the other end, but he didn’t have it in him to feel sorry.

  
“I am so sorry.” she said again, as if that would fix anything.

  
“I-” Louis couldn’t even find words to say. He was silent as he tried to collect his thoughts.

  
“I’m going to hang up now.” He said finally. He heard her start to protest but he ended the call and sank back onto his bed, tears running down his cheeks.

  
He hadn’t been in a relationship since then. The thought of giving everything to one person only for it to break off wasn’t something he was ever interested in again. He’d seen it happen with his mum twice and he’s certainly felt the pain of a long-term relationship himself. But there’s part of him that misses doing all the typical couple-y things. He liked writing those letters to Eleanor. He liked lying next to the same person every morning and waking her up with tender kisses.

  
He sighs and kept swiping on Tinder. There were a few guys and girls he swipes right on, but no one really caught his eye. Then, just as he was about to swipe involuntarily left, his eyes focused on the name. _Amber Reed_

____

____

  
Louis rubs his eyes. _There’s no fucking way that this is the Amber Reed, _he thought, _there is no possible way. _Amber Reed was Louis’ favourite actress. She had been in shows when she was younger and Louis had always thought she was so cool. They were about the same age and Louis loved to see someone like him grow up on television. His favourite show had been called The Key, a show Amber had been on when she was 13. Him and his sister Lottie, who was 12, would huddle up on the couch on Saturday nights to watch the new episodes. Amber played Madison Rivers, a spy who was hired to solve crimes and catch bad guys. It was by far Lottie and Louis’ favourite show. They bonded over how cool Madison was and what they thought would happen in the next episode. Amber Reed hadn’t been super relevant in recent years, but she was still a name that everyone knew. She had just been nominated for an Oscar last year. He taps on her profile and read:____

_____ _

_____ _

  
Amber Reed, 24  
Pros:  
– will buy you dinner  
– can tie cherry stalk into knot with my tongue  
– loves coffee

Cons:  
– there isn’t any, I promise.

The profile was... disappointing, to say the least. But holy shit, Louis had just found his favourite childhood actress on Tinder. It had to be her, right?  
Louis shook his head. _Maybe it’s a catfish, _he thought. That would make more sense after all. But here was a profile with Amber Reed on it. He couldn’t just swipe left. He had to take a chance. He had to see. So he swipes right.__


	2. Chapter 2

“Amber! Over here! Can I get a smile for the camera?”

“Ms. Reed! What are your thoughts on people who want to remake The Key?”

“Come on! Give me a smile!”

Harry shuffles along behind Amber, trying to keep the tray of coffees in his hand still. He’s being jostled around by the paparazzi as they all clamber to get closer to Amber, who strides in front of him. She’s giving small waves to a few of the paps, but for the most part her head is down and her sunglasses are resting on the bridge of her nose. A bodyguard comes up behind Harry and grips him by the shoulder and shoves him forward. Some of the coffee from the cups spills over the side. 

“Move faster, kid. We gotta get Amber out of here.” the guard grunts. Harry nods quickly, his hands shaking and his heart racing a bit. He doesn’t do great with crowds, but this is something he has to do. He quickens his pace, keeping a bit behind Amber, so that he doesn’t get in any pictures, but enough to keep up with her. She’s escorted into the back of a Range Rover and the door is closed before Harry can even get in. He groans as he pushes through some paps to get to the other side of the vehicle. The same security guards grabs Harry by the sleeve of his shirt and tugs him through the people.

“I said to move faster.” The guard barks, throwing open the door of the car and pushing Harry in. Harry scrambles to keep the coffees flat, but liquid is seeping from the top of the lids. The door is closed behind him and the car takes off quickly, leaving the paparazzi behind. 

Harry takes a moment to catch his breath. He hates crowds. They always make him seem so small, like he could get swallowed up at any moment. It is intimidating. He glances over at Amber who is using her phone to reapply a gloss on her lips. She looks unbothered by the previous events. Her sunglasses are pushed up onto the top of her head and she has pulled a few pieces of red hair back into place. 

“Coffee?” Harry asks, after he begins to calm his racing heart. Amber looks over at Harry, who is still holding the tray of four cups and sees the liquid that is staining the cardboard. She grimaces before shaking her head.

“I’m good.” she says, before turning her attention back to her phone camera. Harry lets out a breath.

“Anyone else?” he tries, weakly. The security guard in the front is ignoring him and the driver is too focused on not hitting the stray fan who sees the car pass by. Harry sighs, before slumping in his seat, exhaustion taking over. Maybe he’s the one who needs the coffee. He’s more of a tea drinker, but on this rare occasion, he’d kill for anything to keep him going through this day. 

“Remind me about the interviews I have tomorrow.” Amber says, handing Harry the phone from her pocket, without looking up from the phone in her other hand. Harry rests the coffee tray on his lap and takes the phone from her. He unlocks it quickly and opens the calendar app. 

“Uh, there’s one at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning” he says, doubling checking the time. “It’s with a smaller radio station.” He’s about to say that he received an email from them earlier today, but he’s stopped when he sees a notification at the top of the screen. It’s a Tinder notification, saying that Amber has a new match. 

“Tinder?” He hums. Amber stops looking at her phone and glances over at him. 

“What was that?” she asks. Harry’s cheeks burn as he realized he said that out loud.

“I, uh. You just got a Tinder notification. That’s all.” he mumbles.

“I didn’t say you could scroll through my stuff Curly.” she snaps. Harry hates when she calls him that. It’s like she couldn’t even be bothered to learn his name.

“I didn’t. It just popped up.” he says, a bit defensively. She rolls her eyes and takes the phone away from him. She clicks the notification and opens the app. Harry tries to keep his eyes to himself. He knows he has no business snooping, but he’s a bit curious. He didn’t know Amber had Tinder. She swipes for a little while when she stops and turns to Harry.

“What do you think about this guy?” she asks. Harry is taken aback. Did she just ask Harry for an opinion of something? He leans over a bit to see a buff guy taking a mirror picture. He’s topless and he’s clearly flexing every stomach muscle he has. Harry cringes.

“Left,” he says, automatically. Amber lets out a laugh, much to Harry’s surprise. 

“Why?” she questions.

“He’s trying too hard. And besides, he’s probably boring. If someone has to resort to taking pictures of their body to get a date, they’re probably trying too hard.” he blurts. God, he should really have a filter. Amber laughs again. She swipes a bit and asks Harry for his opinion on another guy. He tells her to swipe right, solely for the bio. It makes him laugh. Amber swipes through again.

“Wait!” Harry says suddenly. Amber pauses, her head tilting to the right as she looks closer at the picture in front of her.

“Swipe right on him.” He says. The man in the picture is wearing an orange hoodie. He’s holding up a peace sign, showcasing off the number 28 that he has tattooed on his fingers. The man’s blue eyes are a sharp contrast to the bright colour of his hoodie, but they’re so captivating. 

“Him?” Amber asks. It’s not a tone of disgust, but one of curiosity. She’s definitely thinking about it. Harry leans over to get a closer look at the man’s profile. He reads:

Louis, 25  
They say “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Well, I’m always down for shots.

Harry lets out a laugh. 

“Yes, swipe right.” he says, and so she does. Amber keeps swiping, ever so often asking Harry for an opinion, as they continue to drive to the location for Amber’s photoshoot. Harry’s having fun, surprisingly. He doesn’t usually like Amber and she doesn’t really like him either, but at this moment, you could almost classify the two of them as acquaintances. As the car pulls around back behind the building where the photoshoot will take place, a notification at the top of the app says they have a match. Harry wants to squeal, but he stays calm, afraid to ruin how Amber feels about him.

“You got a match,” Harry says.

“Oh, cool,” Amber says, continuing to swipe. Harry wants to ask her to look but the car stops and a body guard opens the door for Amber to get out. Harry pushes open his own door, holding onto the coffees tight, and steps out to follow her into the building. She doesn’t bother to hold the door open and Harry begins to think that all of the progress in their relationship is lost. She stops and turns to face him and Harry almost runs into her. 

“Here,” She says, handing the phone out to him. “Make some good choices”. Amber turns away and goes to talk to the photographer of the shoot. Harry stares down at the phone in front of him. Maybe they are making steps forward. 

He sets the tray of cold coffee on the table off to the side and goes to find a spot away from the action to scroll through Amber’s phone. He finds a corner and sits down and rests his back against the wall. He unlocks the phone and opens Tinder. He immediately goes to look at her new matches. He sees a few people that he remembers telling Ashley to swipe right on. His breath hitches as he sees the man in the orange hoodie. Harry pauses, his finger hovering over the image on his phone screen. This man is quite literally the most gorgeous person he’s ever seen. Everything in him is itching to message Louis.

Stop, this isn’t your Tinder, he tells himself. As he does, the phone dings again and when he looks down, he sees that Louis has sent him a message. His heart stops.

Louis: Hey! I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but we might still be able to find some things in common.

Harry looks the message over. Once. Twice. He can’t respond. He shouldn’t. 

He does anyway.

Amber: I don’t know. It might just be a dealbreaker. ;)

_That’s good, right? Flirty but not too flirty? _, Harry thinks. The reply is almost instant.__

____

__

Louis: Darn. I’m British, you know? I can’t turn my back on tea now!

He’s British too? Really?

Amber: You’re British? That’s so cool! Where are you from?

Louis: Doncaster. I’m gonna guess you’ve never heard of it.

Harry has, of course. But he knows that Amber would have absolutely no clue.

Amber: Haha no, not at all. I’d love to do a bit more travelling though.

Louis: You don’t travel? I thought an actress like you would be very world-travelled, no offense.

_Shit. I’ve messed up already, _Harry thinks. _Of course, Amber is well- travelled.___

_____ _

_____ _

Amber: Right. But it’s a bit different when you’re on such tight schedules all the time. There’s not much time for sight-seeing. 

Louis: Ah, I see. I bet it’s tough moving from place to place all the time.  
Harry hates that he can’t talk as himself. He knows Louis is only talking to him because he believes he’s talking to the Amber Reed.

Amber: It is. So anything I should know about you?

Louis: Well, I’m a sucker for bad jokes and proper British television.

Amber: Bad jokes? Those are right up my alley!

Louis: Oh really? Alright, let’s hear it.

Amber: Did you hear about the Italian chef who died?

Louis: No, what about him?

Amber: He pasta-way.

Louis: …

Louis: That was truly awful.

Amber: Hey, you said you like bad jokes!

Louis: Fine, you caught me. I did laugh.

Harry stifled his own giggle. Louis was fun. He enjoyed talking with him. He was about to send another text when Amber approached him. 

“I’d like something to eat now,” she said, raising an eyebrow expectedly. Harry sighed and turned off the phone.

“Yeah, I’ll go across the street and find something.” he says, pushing himself off of the floor.

“I’ll take my phone back before you go,” she says, holding her hand out. Harry bites his lip but hands the phone over anyway.

“I messaged Louis for you, by the way.” he says quietly.

“Who?” She asks, her eyebrows scrunching as she scrolls through the messages between Louis and Harry.

“Uh, some guy you matched with.”

“Oh, well. It looks like it went good, I guess. He’s cute. Thanks!” she says and turns to walk away. As Harry goes to leave to grab Amber something to eat, he feels a swirl in his stomach at the thought of Amber texting Louis instead of him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was an immediate match. Holy shit. 

“No way,” Louis breathes out. He’s staring at the photo of Amber, the green outline around her photo, proudly proclaiming the match.

“Zayn,” He says softly, still trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. “Zayn!” he shouts, leaping up from his stool and knocking rapidly on Zayn’s door. Louis is shaking with excitement and it’s taking a lot of self-control to wait for him to open up. Finally, the door creaks open and Louis practically runs Zayn over as he rushes into the room.

“Woah! Hey, watch out for those canvases!” Zayn shouts, watching Louis bounce throughout the room.

“Amber Reed!” Louis huffs out, his mind still spinning. Zayn looks on, confusion riddling his face.

“Man, I have no idea what you’re on about,” Zayn says, wiping his hands on a stray towel that was hung across the back of a chair.

“I was scrolling through Tinder. You know, as I do, ‘cause I swear I was going to take your advice.” Louis is still vibrating, his hands are flailing wildly as he tries to describe his situation.

“My advice?” Zayn is still so lost. 

“Yes! But it doesn’t matter because I fucking matched with Amber Reed!” Louis shouts, shoving the still green-lit screen in Zayn’s face.

“Is that-” Zayn squints to look closer at the screen

“Amber Reed!” 

“Holy shit, dude.” Zayn’s eyes widened. “And she’s the real deal?” 

“I-I think so? Do I message first?” Louis suddenly goes still. He’s sweating a little bit under the collar.

“Probably. Go for it.” Zayn leans forward with interest, peering at the screen between them.

“What do I say? Should I say that I know her?” Louis’ hands are shaking and not just from excitement.

“No! Definitely not.” Zayn pauses. “Just reference something from her profile.” 

Louis nods and clicks on her profile. It was dry, really. There wasn’t much to make conversation with. But this was Amber Reed he was talking about it. She could have written anything and he still would have swiped right. He types out a message about him not quite enjoying coffee.

He stares at the message for a while. She hasn’t read it yet.

“Don’t just stare at your phone and look all pathetic, mate” Zayn laughs, heading back over to a canvas. Louis sighs.

“I know. I’m just so… excited. I can’t even believe this. Do you think she’ll respond?” Louis asks. Zayn shrugs.

“I don’t know. I bet a lot of people are trying to match with her.” 

“I know, it’s just-” Louis starts but is interrupted by a bing.

“She responded!” Louis shouts. He’s buzzing again as he opens the message and reads:

Amber: I don’t know. It might just be a dealbreaker. ;)

Louis laughs under his breath and types out a quick reply. Amber responds almost immediately. 

“So I take it it’s going well?” Zayn asks, smirking. Louis smiles back.

“Yeah, she’s funny.” Louis says, looking back down at his phone. 

“Alright, well some of us have work to do, so if you could stop distracting me…” Zayn teases, watching Louis. Louis looks up.

“Oh, sorry! Yeah, I’ll just be headed out. Maybe finish the article I’m editing.”

“Don’t lie. I know you’ll just be texting Amber” Zayn jokes, but guides Louis, whose nose is still buried in his phone, out of the room. The door closes but Louis doesn’t even notice. He’s too lost in conversation.

***  
Louis finished editing the article at around 9:30pm. He knows it shouldn’t have taken that long, but his conversation with Amber was all he could think about.

Amber: Give me another shot.

Louis: At what?

Amber: At a joke. You’ll like this one.

Louis: Okay, im ready.

Amber: Did you hear about those new reversible jackets?

Louis: No?

Amber: I’m excited to see how they turn out.

Louis can’t help himself. He laughs out loud. He swears he’s never laughed so much in a day. 

Louis: alright, alright. I liked that one.

Amber: really? I’m glad! I told it to my friend and she didn’t get it. 

Louis is about to respond when he gets a text from Matthew.

Matthew: Hey, are we still meeting? 

Shit, Louis thinks. He stands up from the couch and quickly throws on a pair of converse. He never stands people up. He texts Matthew back and says he’s on his way. He calls an Uber and one arrives in about ten minutes.

The bar isn’t far away. It’s one of the reasons why Louis frequently picks this place as a meeting place for hookups. If the date is so awful, his home isn’t very far away. And, if the date does go well, he can get to hooking up faster. 

The Uber pulls up to the bar. It’s a small building and usually just contains a few regulars. It makes it easy to pick out which person Matthew is. Matthew is sitting at a smaller table by himself, watching the tv above him.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Louis says, sliding into the seat across from Matthew. “I just got caught up with some work things.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s no problem. I get it.” Matthew says, sipping at his drink. “Would you like me to get you anything?” 

“Um, yeah a rum and coke would be nice.” Louis says. Matthew gets and orders his drink.

Matthew was attractive. He was a little bit taller than Louis, although almost everyone was, that wasn’t much of a surprise at this point. He had shaggy brown hair that fell just below his ears and Louis would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about what it would feel like to run his fingers through the man’s hair. 

“Here you go.” Matthew said, handing Louis his drink. Louis gave him a smile and took a sip of the drink.

“So, are you from around here?” Louis asks. Matthew nods.

“Yeah, I’m from around here. What about you? Are you from here?”

“No, I’m, uh, from the UK actually. Hence the accent. ” Louis says. He expects some sort of response but Matthew just nods and looks up at the tv.

“Yeah. Um, so where do you work?” Louis asks, trying to get any sort of conversation rolling.

“I don’t really. I did have dreams of being a soccer player though.”

“Oh cool! I love footie!” Louis says.

“Cool.” Matthew says, continuing to watch the tv screen. Louis sighed and the rest of his drink.

“Do you want to go back to my place?” Louis asked, reaching over to rest his hand on Matthew’s wrist. Matthew looks over at him.

“Uh, yeah. I’d love that.” Matthew also downs his drink and Louis pulls out his phone to call an uber. The two of them wait outside and Louis lets Matthew kiss his neck for awhile, as Louis discovers what it feels like to touch Matthew’s hair. The two of them stumble into the Uber and Matthew moves his lips to Louis’.

Thank god he’s better at kissing than he is at conversation, Louis thinks. The two arrive at Louis’ apartment and collapse into his room. As Matthew climbs on top of Louis and presses his body into the mattress, Louis can only think of his conversations with Amber and the way she makes him laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Harry are meeting soon, I promise!
> 
> Emilie x


	4. Chapter 4

Louis wakes up when the sound of his phone ringer going off hits his ears. Tiredly, he taps at it, hoping to quiet the sound before Matthew hears it.

_Matthew, _, he thinks, turning over to look at the man. He’s still here and he’s snoring softly beside Louis. Louis sighs and grabs his phone. There’s a notification from Amber.__

__Amber: I’m reading a book about anti-gravity!  
Amber: It is impossible to put down._ _

__Louis laughs under his breath as he stares at the messages._ _

__Louis: I didn’t take you for a reader :P_ _

__Amber: It’s a joke, Lou :( I hope you laughed_ _

__Louis: unfortunately, all of your jokes make me laugh._ _

__Amber: that’s the goal :)_ _

__The smiley faces were cute. Louis can’t help but smile as he looks at them._ _

__Amber: Hey, would you happen to want to meet up?_ _

__

__Louis’ heart stops. _Meet up with Amber? _, Louis thinks. _Am I dreaming? _______

______Louis: yeah! Sure! What do you have in mind?_ _ _ _ _ _

______Amber: I know you said you’re more into tea, but would you care for a coffee date?_ _ _ _ _ _

______Louis: I would love that!_ _ _ _ _ _

______Amber texts Louis the address of a coffee shop and Louis tells her how he can’t wait to meet her. He climbs out of bed with a smile on his face and heads to the kitchen._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Again, Louis?” he hears Zayn say from the kitchen. Louis hasn’t even made eye contact with him yet._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Good morning to you too,” Louis says. “And yes, I brought someone home. Again.”  
“Louis, there’s better ways to cope with a breakup that happened years ago.” Zayn says. Louis looks at him as Zayn pulls an apple from the fridge. _ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m over it, I swear. I just like to let loose once in a while.” Louis wants this conversation to drop. He can already feel the sinking feeling in his stomach start to grow. He hates thinking about Eleanor more than he has to._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Anyway, before you started chastising me, I had something I wanted to tell you,” Louis says, catching the apple that Zayn has thrown at him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Okay?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m going on a date with Amber!” Louis says, his body is vibrating with excitement._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Wow. That’s… a pretty big deal. Congrats Lou. When is it?” Zayns asks._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well, she said she’s free after a shoot she has today. So I’m heading over there around three.” Louis says._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I hope it goes well for you then,” Zayn says, clapping him on the back as he passes by him to head back to his room._ _ _ _ _ _

______\----_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What if-” Harry pauses, unsure of how to break the news to Amber. “What if you went on a date with someone from Tinder?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“From Tinder? Why would I do that?” She says, as she tilts her jaw up towards the ceiling to allow the makeup artist to contour her neck._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I just think… maybe it’d be fun?” Harry shrugs. He’s treading on thin ice and he knows it. _I’m going to lose my job _he thinks.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, no thanks.” She says, rolling her eyes. Harry takes a deep breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What if I-” He winces. “What if I said you’d meet him after this shoot?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Him? You’ve been texting someone through my Tinder?” Amber leans away from the makeup artist to get a good look at Harry who is sitting in the chair beside her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I-” Harry can’t even come up with a sane reason for accidentally scheduling a date between the two. He had gotten so caught up in talking to Louis and dreaming of what going on an actual date with him would be like that he forgot he was controlling Amber’s Tinder.  
“Do you understand how busy I am? I do not have time to date someone you found on Tinder, Styles.” She rolls her eyes as she turns back to look at herself in the mirror._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You remember Louis, right? You said he was cute! Maybe it’ll be fun.” Harry tries to reason. He does not want to flake on Louis. He does not deserve that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“For the love of god, Styles. If you’re so concerned with him, you date him.” She snaps back at him. Harry feels the blood rush to his cheeks and he’s a little dizzy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m not… He’s not… I-” Harry stammers out. He can’t push the words through his teeth. Sure, he dreams about the possibility of being with another man, but that doesn’t make him gay. Harry’s breathing a little heavily when Amber’s voice shakes away his thoughts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I was being sarcastic. God, Styles. Chill out.” He can’t help the relieved sigh that spills from his lungs as she says those words. “Fine, even if I wanted to go, I’m probably busy.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No, well, I scheduled it for after your shoot today.” Harry chimes in._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Isn’t that convenient?” She says, standing up from her chair and tightening the string from her robe around her waist. Amber takes a few seconds to look at herself in the mirror, fluffing her curled red hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I just thought-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Show me him,” she says, still staring at herself in the mirror. Harry scrambles to Amber’s bag to find her extra phone. His fingers fumble over the keys as he types in her password and pulls open the app. He stands up from his spot on the floor and passes the phone to Amber. She takes it from his hands and stares at the man in the orange hoodie. Harry doesn’t even have to look at the picture to remember what he looks like. He has the thick lines of his “28” tattoo and the soft brown fringe committed to memory._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh, I remember him.” She hands the phone back to Harry. “And this is the one you scheduled a date with?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, at the Sage Bakery.” Harry says softly, taking the phone from her hands._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Fine, I’ll tell my manager I’m stopping by. Maybe it’ll be good for me to date again.” She says, and Harry can feel his insides swirling. _He’s _excited and it’s not even his date. _God, I need to pull it together, _he thinks._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Amber leaves the room and Harry stares down at the phone to see the glow of a text message flash across the screen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Louis: can’t wait to meet you!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update. Quarantine's been really getting to me and my attention span is so short. The next chapter is L & H meeting and I am so so so excited!  
> Emilie x


	5. Chapter 5

Louis is anxious. He’s literally meeting up with _the _Amber Reed. He can barely wrap his mind around the fact that she’ll be here any second. He’s already ordered himself a black tea with a splash of milk.__

__He’s trying to slow his racing heart when he hears a soft close of door from behind the kitchen counter. He lifts his head to see a tall woman appear from around the corner. She lifts her dark sunglasses to the top of her head and pushes back the dark red curls that were previously dancing in front of her face._ _

___Holy shit, _Louis thinks. _It’s really her. ______ _

______Amber is taller than he had imagined her. She’s wearing a black and white striped shirt under a cropped denim jacket adorned with embroidered patches. She stops in her place to scan the coffee shop._ _ _ _ _ _

_______I should call her over, _Louis thinks, mesmerized by the fact that his favourite actress is in the same room as him. She turns her head behind her to look towards the kitchen door. For the first time, Louis’ gaze leaves Amber and instead travels to follow her own stare.__ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Behind her is a tall man with dark brown curls that fall down in front of his eyes. The man shakily pushes it back, but it falls right back down. He’s wearing a tight white shirt and a loose burgundy button up that he lets his left hand fiddle with the bottom of. Louis’s not sure, but he thinks the man/s eyes are a dark shade of green. The man leans over to whisper something in Amber’s ear and her head swivels to look at where Louis is sitting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Louis snaps out of the trance he was in and she heads over to where he’s sitting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hi, you must be Louis.” Amber says, taking a seat across from him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uh, yes! It’s nice to meet you in person Amber.” Louis says. Never in his life has he been so formal but he’s so nervous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’ll just get something to drink and uh… leave you two alone” a voice says. He’s a little taken aback by the British accent. He doesn’t know many other Brits in LA besides Zayn. Louis looks up to the man staring down at him. Louis was right. His eyes _were _green. The man leaves to go to the front counter. Louis watches him for a second as he fishes out some change from his front pocket.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Who is that?” He asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Who?” She turns her head to look where Louis is looking. “Oh, that’s just my assistant.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________An assistant. Of course. She would have one. Why did he not think of that?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Oh right. Well, he seems...nice.” Louis says. Amber lets out a huff._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Sure. He does his job. That’s all I can ask for.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Can I get you something to drink? I know you’re more of a coffee person. I already bought myself a cuppa.” Louis can’t help but ramble on._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“A what?” She says, staring at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Oh, sorry. I meant tea. Sorry, I’m British, you know, hence the accent.” He knows he’s over apologizing but he can’t stop the words ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Right.” She draws out. “I’d like a black coffee. Decaf.” Amber says. Louis scrambles out of the seat to go to the counter. He orders the coffee for Amber._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Pull it together, Tommo _he thinks. She doesn’t seem interested in him at all. He could have sworn they had so much chemistry over text. Maybe she’s not attracted to him in person anymore?__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The barista hands him the coffee and as he turns around, he walks straight into a solid body. Louis hears a low voice let out a sharp groan and he lifts his head up to see the damage._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Amber’s assistant stands in front of him, but instead of the clean white shirt he was wearing before, he’s now sporting a dark stain that is spreading down his stomach._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Oh my god, I am so so sorry. I wasn’t even watching. I didn’t know you were behind me. Shoot, let me just grab some napkins. I am so so-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Woah, it’s okay.” the man says. “I can grab some napkins.” he says, leaning over Louis to grab a handful off of the counter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Ugh, I am so sorry.” Louis groans._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It’s no big deal, Louis. I’ve got a ton of white shirts just like this one at my apartment.” the man laughs. Louis tries to relax, although the echoing chuckle that leaves the man’s mouth is somewhat of a comfort._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“How’d you know my name?” Louis asks, watching as the man dabs at the liquid on his chest. His cheeks turn bright red as he glances down to avoid Louis’ gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Oh… Amber just... talks about you a lot.” he says. Louis feels a warmth in his stomach. The light feeling of butterflies returns._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Really?” Louis can’t help but ask. Maybe this date isn’t a total lost cause._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Really.” The man confirms quickly. He turns to start heading to a table in the corner of the cafe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Wait, what was your name again?” Louis asks. The man turns around, the same shade of red still painted on his cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It’s Harry,” he says, before turning back around. Louis looks down at the cup in his hand. It’s almost full and probably still acceptable to give to Amber. He has to take another deep breath to calm himself after hearing that Amber talks about him, and then heads back to where she is sitting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Here you go.” Louis says, setting the cup down in front of her. Amber takes a quick look at it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You paid for them not to give you a full cup?” She asks, raising an eyebrow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Oh, uh…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Ugh whatever. I wasn’t expecting much from a place like this anyways.” She says, raising the cup to her lips and taking a small sip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So are you rich?” She asks. Louis almost chokes on air._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Uh, well I actually work for a news company. It’s called the LA Star.” Louis says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Hmm. Never heard of it.” She pauses. “So you’re not rich?” Louis shakes his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“How do I know you’re not just here because you’re a big fan of mine?” She asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’m not. Well, I am. But I’m not-” Louis can feel his chances with Amber slipping away with each word he says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Right. Okay. I think we’re done here.” She pushes her cup away from her and stands up from her chair. She adjusts her jean jacket and motions for Harry to come toward her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Amber, I’m so sorry. I really like you. You seem funny and smart and I want to get to know you.” Louis tries. He stands up too.  
“What’s wrong?” He hears Harry say, as he tries to assess the situation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“We’re leaving, Styles.” Amber says, moving her sunglasses from the top of her to the bridge of her nose._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Already?” Harry asks, quietly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yes, already. When I say we’re leaving, Styles, that means we’re leaving.” she says. She brushes past the two of them and heads to the back door. Harry watches her leave before turning to Louis._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’m sorry about her.” He says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It’s no big deal, mate. She’s a bit different over text if I’m being honest.” Louis states. The warmth returns to Harry’s cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I better get going. She’ll leave without me if I’m not quick.” Harry says. Louis nods._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Right. See you, I guess. Sorry again about your shirt.” Harry smiles a toothy grin and pushes the hair off of his forehead once again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It’s not a problem. Bye Lou.” Harry says quickly, before rushing out of the cafe and leaving Louis alone. Louis tries to push away the feeling of lightness in his stomach at the mention of the word “Lou”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of inspiration for the next few chapters so I might just really work on them for the next few days. Expect at least one more chapter this week.   
> Emilie x


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